I can’t get beyond the taste of this herb. Ugh! Anything made with cilantro is a turn-off.
Now I know why…
Why Does Cilantro Taste Like Soap?
To be clear, many gourmands enjoy topping their fish, salads, and soups with a smattering of this herb. However, others feel like they’re biting into a bar of Ivory Spring. The reason appears to be a matter of genetics.
One 2012 study showed that people equipped with certain olfactory receptor genes are more prone to detecting cilantro’s aldehydes, compounds also commonly found in household cleaning agents and perfumes. While the percentage of the population that suffers from this fate tops out at about 20%, the resulting taste is apparently awful enough to spark passionate responses of the sort found on Facebook’s I Hate Cilantro page, which has more than 26,000 likes.
And while we’re on the topic… I remember having a conversation with a friend not long ago at which time we were serving asparagus as a side. I mentioned that my urine smells like asparagus not long after I’ve eaten it. Contrary to my olfactory experience, he said he’s never detected anything “odiferous” when he goes after eating asparagus.
Hmmm…. well, now I know why…
Why Does Asparagus Make My Urine Smell Bad?
Not to be outdone by its fellow healthy side dish, asparagus comes with the unfortunate side effect of producing strong-smelling urine. This comes from the asparagusic acid present solely in this particular vegetable, which breaks down into sulfur byproducts upon digestion and surfaces in urine as soon as 15 minutes after eating.
Not everyone is genetically capable of detecting this odor. One study published in 2016 found that roughly 60% of participants reported nothing funky in the bathroom after ingesting asparagus. Regardless, for the people who do experience the aroma, it’s perfectly natural. Whew!
Learn more interesting facts here.
My daughter used to hate cilantro but now is a convert, even though she still tastes soap! She mixes it with parsley & other herbs to dull the soapy efect. 😀
Ah, life is too short… 😵💫
I think it’s wonderful that someone else feels the same way about cilantro and asparagus as I do.
If I *even smell* cilantro I can taste it … for *days*!
I rarely eat out and will flat not go into an eating establishment that uses cilantro. End of.
Asparagus … I’ve read it has nutrients that helps fight blood sugar issues, among other health issues. It’s not the only vegetable that has those benefits, sooooo … No to the nope. No asparagus for me. It stinks and it’s slimy. Nasty. I know, I could eat it raw. Again, nope.
I don’t ever remember actually eating it. I vaguely remember playing with it when my mother put it on my plate. It might have been dropped on the floor.
I’ll die knowing … or at least thinking … I never intentionally ate asparagus or cilantro.
Yuk.
Gag.